Forest of the Dolls
by Squirrel0304
Summary: Children disappear and bame falls on her the only ninja in a civilain village. Desprate to prove her innocence before she disappears 2, she races clear her name. The only 1 who might be able to help is an arrogant red-head who went missing 2 years before.
1. Do You Know

**Author's Note: I don't Naruto or Vampire Princess Miyu. **

The Forest of the Dolls

Chapter 1: Do You Know

_Do you know of the Forest of the Dolls? The Rustle of the leaves it sounds as if someone is speaking. Are they laughing or are they crying? I do not know... not anymore._ The twigs, twisted, knobby and crookedly bent in such ways that they appear to be tortured fingers, mutilated and blackened by age shoot from the branches that are bent like arms toward the heavens as if begging the gods for mercy. The two twisted branches flare out of a trunk that is warped and irregular. Eerily it resembles the twisted frame of a man haggard and deformed by agonizing pain. At the top of the tree where the mosses, bark, and branches form to shape a round head like shape a single trail of amber sap glitters faintly in the dusk: a tear hardened by time forever being shed. All around are other trees; thousands of them, all bowed and misshapen by an eternity of suffering.

"_They say that Pinocchio is the leader of the forest...mysterious forest." _Elsewhere in the gloom of the forest the spindly distorted finger like twigs of one of the trees twitch, seemingly of their own accord, as there is no breeze to be felt nor wind to be seen stirring the patches of grass that dot the forest floor. _Where... where is he?_

The twigs give a final shrivelling twitch and fall still. _Tell me, do you know of the Forest of the Dolls? _Sap begins to ooze like treacle as the golden sunlight filters through the green leaves of a forest in the haze of a distant dream. Perhaps it is the last shred of memories long forgotten or bits and pieces of an ancient past slowly being recalled from the darkness of time.

"_Humans, whose souls were destroyed, are standing there like trees. It's said Pinocchio has eaten their souls. But whose voice do you hear when the trees rustle?"_

_ "I don't know." _

**Author's note: Yeah this is not my best work but I've wanted to write something like this for a while. I'm going to have to do some serious editing. I should be done with this in five or six chapters and all the following chapters will be longer. I just need a good starting point.**


	2. Wanted

**Author's Note: Yeah, this is the second chapter and yes it is very short. This was not intentional but I felt like I was at a good stopping point. A friend of mine accused me of being insane when I put the first chapter up. I would like to assure you that this is not the case…. Well, it could be… Anyways, please read and review. I'm having a lot fun writing this fanfic despite how short it's going to be. **

** P.S. I do not own Naruto.**

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><p><span>The Forest of the Dolls<span>

Chapter 2: Wanted 

A chill air stirred the curtains and there was a small thud. Looking up a girl reached over and picked up the knocked over picture frame. Under the glass the faces of her teammates from years past looked up at her. She was in the centre of the photo smiling at the camera, her sensei stood over her grinning from beneath a mask that covered his mouth and nose, and on either side of stood a boy, both with their arms crossed and grumpy frowns marring their faces. They had had an argument not moments before the picture was taken. They had always been fighting, competing against one other, trying to show the other up at every opportunity.

"Naruto," she whispered with a faint smile. He'd been such an idiot in those days. She smiled, thinking the times they'd had ramen together, or hung out.

Then her eyes locked onto the face of the other boy. His dark hair a stark contrast to Naruto's blonde. "Sasuke." She felt a sharp pang in her chest as she stared down at his image. Gods, how she missed him; he'd left the village and it still hurt to remember it. A heavy hot tear dripped onto the glass and she whipped it off with her thumb.

Then more began to fall. On her knees bent over the photograph, she cried. Her whole body shook.

This had been happening more lately. Like her eyes were trying to make up for the times she hadn't been able to cry over the years or maybe it was because for the last week she'd been preparing to leave for her first solo mission and she was feeling particularly lonely knowing she'd be leaving in the morning. She didn't know the reason. All she knew was that she loved him and that she hadn't been strong enough, beautiful, or close enough as a friend to make him stay. Her shoulders dipped and she uttered a broken sob.

Eventually her tremors ceased, her crying ceased, and the picture was placed on her bedside table, the faces of her teammates facing her. Would they think she was weak if they could see her now? She closed her window, looking up at the silver full moon watching from above, drew the curtains, and laying down beneath her covers she fell into a dreamless sleep.

The moon tainted red, as if stained by blood glared down upon a dark twisted forest. Nothing stirred. No wind broke the moved the stagnant air, stained red even during the night. No noise broke the eternal silence. Because nothing could. Nothing could give the torpid, twisted, trees below any form of life.

Lo! Under the cover of darkness, a twig on a tree might have twitched on its own accord. Perhaps revolting against the silence. It twitched again. There air didn't stir.

There was faint pop; loud, but muffled by the encompassing silence. A small shadow landed one of the two branches of the tree, facing the trunk. The twig did not stir again. The air heavy, grew heavier and finally the little cloaked figure looked up towards the top of the tree.

"Did I not give you exactly what you asked for?" It hissed. The cloaked figure leaped into the air, becoming a small cloaked figure silhouetted against the moon before vanishing. Everything was still and silence once more like the little person hadn't even been there.

The tree didn't stir again.


	3. Wanting

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading this story and coming this far. I'm sorry that it makes so little sense, but after this chapter things should begin to become clear. And the title of the last chapter was an epic fail. I couldn't think of anything better. Please read and review, I hope you like this chapter. Things will be a little less weird and seemingly random for the time being. No More Trees.**

** I do not own Naruto or Vampire Princess Miyu. **

The Forest of the Dolls

Wanting

Trees that were leafless and dark stood amid the houses. Their dying brown and red leaves strewn across the ground were suddenly tossed into the air by chilling wind only to fall dizzily back to earth to await another gust. Sakura wiping the lose strands of pink hair out her eyes as she walked down the main street of the town she'd just entered.

Shops and houses clogged the road and people were hurrying about hastily preparing for winter's rapid approach. Power lines stretched above her head, proof that the village had electrical power: something the majority of the civilian villages this far north didn't have. Despite that, paper lanterns hung from house porches and outside the shops already lit to illuminate the streets as evening swiftly approached.

A woman cast Sakura a dirty glare and hurried her pace slightly, tugging her small son forward with a hint of urgency. Sakura ignored them. After having been in other civilian villages with her team she had long gotten used the general mistrust and fear civilians regarded shinobi with. She continued onward. She passed a small bar with a conjoined inn and considered reserving a room, but shrugged. She could do that later. There was still time for her to start her mission before finding a place a sleep for the night. Besides, she might find an inn elsewhere, which was more out of the way…

With that in mind she started walking again passing a bakery, small houses, a general store and a doll shop. She stopped in front of it and peered into the window. Small porcelain dolls garbed in silky richly embroidered kimonos looked out at her each with tiny small smiles. She smiled back at them and a sudden overwhelming sense of deja vu tempted her to step inside but she repressed the urge and conitued on. She had a mission to start. Dolls and frivolous sightseeing could wait. With a slight tug of her hat and a quick adjustment of her scarf Sakura passed on and continued down the main road, following it as it bent. Then she saw what she had come for.

Her eyes lit up as she spotted the small clinic her Hokage had sent her to find.

The bell hanging over the door chimed as Sakura stepped inside the hospital. She rubbed her hands together enjoying the warmth after being outside all day. She was standing in a small reception area. There were several green arm chairs perched beneath a single large window by the door surrounding a small wooden table covered in a stack of old magazines. She picked one that was looked mildly interesting off the table and flipped through the pages. It was three years old.

Then, she heard hurrying footsteps and looked up as a stout woman with dark hair streaked with grey bustled into the room. She gave Sakura a long appraising look before addressing her and she finally did her voice was cautious.

"Can I help you?"

Sakura shifted. "Yes, I've come from Konoha and I've been sent to gather medicinal herbs that grow in the region."

The lady blinked. "Konoha? That's no short distance-"

"Lady Tsunade sent me. I have a list."

She took the letter from Sakura with leathery wrinkled fingers and scanned the list. She looked over the sheet of paper at Sakura.

"I'm Sakana, the head physician here." She offered her hand.

"Sakura," the medic ninja smiled shaking it. The doctor's eyes narrowed as she gazed at Sakura's hair putting the two together. To Sakura's relief Sakana refrained from commenting as so many others often did.

"Most of these are in stock, however a few of these like Arnica for instance, I am very low on, but there's a shipment coming in within the next two to three weeks and you can get some then. And that goes for any other herb I don't have enough."

Sakura frowned. She'd be farther from home longer than she wanted to be. But on that very same note it meant she might actually get see some snow: a winter novelty she never witnessed in Konoha due to her home's temperate climate.

"That'll be fine. I'm in no hurry."

"Well I'll show you what I have in stock and we'll see what we can do." She escorted Sakura to her supply closet and together they began checking various herbs off the list. The entire time Sakana talked about the herbs on the list naming her favourite uses for them.

The bells chimed at the front door and Sakana bustled out of the pantry to the desk.

"Oh, bugger you've been here four hours. There's a lovely little inn just down the road you can check in at. We'll finish tomorrow."

Sakura quickly put the remaining herbs they'd pulled off of the bottle and jar laden shelves into her bag.

"Another one? That makes three in the last month!" The Sakana's voice exclaimed in alarum. Immediately Sakura's ears pricked and she listened. She make out the voices of two men speaking in urgent soft voices, but their words were too vague.

"Whose was it?" Sakana asked with a fearful note in her voice.

"Kansou's."

"Oh dear," Sakana's voice murmured.

Sakura shouldered her pack and stepped out of the closet. Immediately the two men standing with their backs to the door tensed. Sakana turned regarding the young medic. "I've been called out to see someone. We'll finish where we left off, tomorrow. And there's a decent inn down the road." The doctor smiled and Sakura nodded.

"That sounds good," Sakura said pleasantly. "Thank you for your help."

She followed the doctor and the two men out of the clinic.

"It was nice meeting you and I look forward to seeing you in the morning." Sakana smiled and turned away walking with the two men. "Oh and Sakura!" Sakana called over her shoulder, "Tell the innkeeper I sent you there and he should give you discount. He owes me a few favours."

"Oh. Okay. Thank you." Sakura gave her a short wave and headed down the street toward the inn she'd seen earlier.

Twilight had descended on the land and the temperature had dropped considerably. She opened her mouth and exhaled, watching her misty breath disperse before her. She grinned. She rubbed her hands together as her feet crunched through the dead leaves. It was a brisk night: a tell tale sign of winter's rapid approach. So it was a good thing that the inn was only six or seven building away on the corner. Already she could see the grey smoke curling out of its chimney.

She froze. In the branches of a tree across the street from the inn perched a peculiarly shaped figure. It was hunched like an owl, but in no way resembled a bird. Curious she continued on toward her destination keeping it always in sight. Then it disappeared. Gone before her very eyes it had vanished.

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><p>Dreams,<p>

Visions,

Hallucinations,

Flits of colour and sound were the only things that broke through the dismal monotony of the darkness that everyday crept over his mind. Soon even these flashes of times he could no longer place would fade, into the blackness as well. Then he would cease to exist, forever standing as a silent sentinel among the trees surrounding him.

From the dark he recalled a soft feminine voice speaking, her warm chocolate eyes smiling down at him. He felt a pang…. A sense, a feeling he could no longer describe or understand, but it hurt. He could register pain that accompanied that image.

_"Sa…." _

The pang intensified into something corporeal that ate at him. It was the only word he could hear her whisper in her tender voice. The rest of her words were forever lost in the silence of the darkness that surrounded him from all sides.

_"Asked for?" _The words burned and festered in him adding desire to his need. He didn't want to end. He didn't want this. He had been betrayed-'betrayed' the word felt right, like it fit or described what he couldn't say-by that thing, but he couldn't remember the offence and the actions that had brought him to this state. He didn't like it. This was not what he had asked for. Not at all…

A faint pop shot through the heavy silence and it landed on a tree branch not far away. It's head turned toward him and its luminous eyes stared at him with a feral gleam. He didn't stir. He pushed all thought from his mind, lest it discover that he was not totally lost in the blackness. For an eternal moment it studied him, with unblinking glowing fellow eyes, before disappearing. It didn't fade away slowly or suddenly leap to another tree in another part of the forest, or teleport itself using… jutsu-the word described his thoughts perfectly, though he didn't know the meaning of the word: another faded memory the definition of which he'd lost perhaps- The little creature was gone like it had never existed to begin with, like it hadn't there smugly revelling in its triumph.

He was running out of time. He could feel the darkness moving like treacle slowly reaching out to obliterate the last of his existence. He had days before he was too far gone to be saved, if he wasn't already.

It would need to find a new victim soon. It wouldn't be satisfied until it found the perfect prey. He would have to get to the next victim, before it did.


	4. Kyoto

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading this. This is my first attempt at a suspense/horror story. Anyways I apologize in advance if you find this chapter rather uneventful. That will change because things are going to start moving faster next chapter. That will be posted very shortly: this afternoon most likely. **

** Again, thank you for taking time out of your day to read this. And I don't own Vampire Princess Miyu or Naruto. Happy New Years!**

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><p>Forest of the Dolls<p>

Kyoto

Stretching Sakura languidly slid out of her bed, wincing as her feet settled on the cold floor. She quickly hopped onto the thin green rug that covered most of the floor. She glanced on at the clock on the bedside table. She had at least an hour to shower and eat before she needed to return to the clinic to finish what herb gathering she could. She pulled a brush and a spare change of clothing from her pack. The bathroom was small, but clean. There was a small tub with a faucet and a showerhead. She turned the water on, knowing in the cold weather it would be slow to heat up.

The shower curtain draped over the rod, the towels and the counter were minty green. It seemed that the inn liked its green theme, because the bedroom was dark wood and mint green accents the same as the lobby. She reached over to grab the small bottle of green shampoo the inn had so kindly provided. She snorted. The rich sent rising from the unscrewed lid was mint.

Rosy and smelling of fresh cut mint Sakura quickly strapped her kunai holster around her leg and clipped her medic's apron around her waist, before stepping out of her room. Smells from the bar attached to the inn permeated the air as she descended the last stair into the lobby. A fire played in the hearth warming up the open, dark brown, and mint green space. The inn keeper sitting at his desk eating a bowl of soup nodded at her as she passed him.

She stood at the bar looking at the food menu. She could just as easily wander the village combing the market for other sources of food, but she had decided to save her trip for her leisure time, which she would have plenty of after visiting Sakana.

"Ah, your back," Sakana greeted wide smile. "You needed a few herbs, right?"

"Reishi, Fo-ti, and lobelia, " Sakura nodded. The doctor smiled. "I've already gathered them for you." Sakura blinked. "Thank you."

"Oh no problem at all," Sakana waved her off. "But um, I know it's pretty quiet around here usually, but if I needed you would I be able to call on you?"

Sakura nodded, "Of course."

"Thank you," Sakana beamed. "I'll be sure to send for you if I need you." Taking that as her cue to leave, Sakura headed to the door, her pre-packaged herbs in hand.

Having the entire day not to mention an entire two weeks to hang around she decided to explore. In the highly unlikely, but still possible event that enemy shinobi could show up, it would be good to have a home field advantage. She meandered down the main road because that really was the village's only road and wound up in the market square. It was more of a circle in actuality. There was the general store she'd peeked in the windows before, the inn with its bar, the doll shop, and a small tea house built on the bottom level of a house.

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><p>The general store carried a various assortment of northern winter clothes all of which were thick wools and heavy coats; impractical attire for any shinobi. There was a rack of magazines with a few books thrown in the mix. The magazines were either catalogues for various civilian supplies or 'How To' knitting books which she glanced at for good measure but found rather uninteresting. Glancing at the covers of the books she smiled coming across a romance novel and a collection of poetry deciding to buy both of them.<p>

Sakura tugged her cap down lower over her ears as she stepped outside. The temperature had dropped a few degrees since she was last outside. She passed underneath a leaf barren tree and shuddered when a chill leapt down her spine. Glancing up at the sky she scowled at the cloud darkening sky. There was a faint rumble of thunder in the distance.

She looked in the window of the doll shop, smiling down at the perfectly sculpted faces. They were dolls made in a style unique to a tourist village in Crescent Moon Kingdom. Or so she'd been told by the prince during her break while Kakashi had been recovering from a battle. Perhaps the doll maker was from there. It was strange that someone from the richest nation in the world would travel to a desolate civilian village in Lightning country. The situation bore investigation.

A small bell chimed as she stepped inside, freezing as a young man about her age with dark hair and dark eyes looked up from a doll he held in his hand. Sakura blinked and willed her heart to slow. He looked so much like Sasuke, only his hair was different.

"I'm Takumi," the young man said either not noticing her behaviour or just being too courteous to say anything. "Oh-um, Sakura." He nodded and looked down at the doll in his hand, gently adjusting the porcelain girl's obi. He set her on a shelf.

"Sorry, my father wanted me to make sure her clothing was up to standard. Is there something I can help you with?" Sakura fought the sudden urge to blush. So much like Sasuke: aloof, but nicer in a way. With a sigh she knew she had always wished Sasuke would be like that around her.

She looked up to find him watching her. "Um, no. I was just passing by and I noticed your dolls and I had to know if-are they Kyoto dolls?"

Takumi blinked surprise written across his face. "They are, how did you know?"

"Oh well I went to Kyoto once. It's the only place in the world where dolls like this are made, or so I've heard." Takumi nodded. "That was true until about six months ago. My father made all these and he wanted to leave Crescent Moon, but loved the art and felt the need to share it with the world." Sakura frowned. "But why here? You come from a rich tropical county. Moving to Lightning: a frigid poorer shinobi nation is pretty big change."

Takumi allowed his lip to curl slightly. "My father wanted a change of scenery: said it was for his health, and he's happier here."

Sakura inwardly scowled feeling that there was more to the story. But she let it slide.

"Takumi who are you talking to?" An eldery man, tall and thin with slicked back thinning grey hair stepped out of a side room at the back of the store. He smiled warmly when he saw her.

"Not a costumer, Father. She recognized the Kyoto style and came in to find out if we're from Kyoto." Something flashed across the old man's eyes, but his smile never faltered. "Three generations of our family were born and raised in Kyoto, but I felt that since I was old I would go out and see the world. Travelling is something I've always wanted to do."

"I know you're not here to buy anything, but feel free to stick around and look at whatever you want. If you're interested I also sell kimonos. They're in back if you want to look and you can try as many as you want on and there's makeup as well. Just because you're not buying doesn't mean I'm going to make you leave." Sakura smiled.

"Can I look at the kimonos?" The old man nodded holding open a curtain that revealed a small room lined with racks of some of the finest kimonos she'd ever seen. "Wow." The old man chuckled. "I'll get a mirror if you wish." He left her standing in a forest of the finest silks she'd ever laid eyes on. She ran her fingers over the soft smooth fabric of a dark indigo sleeve embroidered with peacocks of spun gold.

She found one she liked and quickly put it on drooling as the smooth fabric slid over her arms. The shop keeper chose that moment to wheel in a full size oval mirror with an ornately carved wooden frame. "That kimono is gorgeous on you." Sakura starring at herself in the mirror couldn't agree more.

"Did you make this?" She asked. "I made all of them. A lot of my dolls wear smaller versions of these, but not all of them. There's little call for such clothing in a village like this, except for rare formal functions: Weddings and Such. In Kyoto I sold them, here I lend them."

"They are incredible," Sakura marvelled, fingering the hem her sleeves. This man had such amazing talent, and to waste it here in this poor village in the middle of nowhere, far from any travellers from rich cities who could afford these made no sense to her. Something must have happened for him to have left the sunny beach town of Kyoto to set up shop out here in this poor frigid sedate village.

"Takumi!" his son holding a block of wood with the partially formed limb of a doll protruding from it came in. "How does she look?" Immediately Sakura felt her face flush under the scrutiny of the young man's gaze. "She looks-"

CRASH!

All three of them jumped. Sakura masked her chakra as she gingerly wrenched the kimono off and whipped out a kunai. Taking a deep breath preparing herself for whatever was about to happen she burst out from the behind the curtain. She lurched to a stop staring around her confusedly. No one was there and nothing was broken. Not a single thing was out of place. Everything, was exactly where it had bee. She ducked her head inside the doll maker's workroom opposite his kimono closet to find nothing amiss.

Scouring the main part of the shop, nothing was amiss. Takumi joined her, a frown on his face. "Maybe it came from next door." She turned to look at him, but his face aside from his frown was unreadable. "Takumi, why don't you run over and see if they need any help?" His father asked from behind the curtain. Undoubtedly, he was hanging up the kimono she'd thrown at him in her haste. Immediately she felt bad. "I was already about to leave," he called over his shoulder and then turning to Sakura. "I'll walk you out."

Moments later the curtain rustled open and he stepped out to observe the state of his shop. "I'm glad to see nothing fell. It would have been terrible if the dolls had broken."

"Sorry about your kimono." The old man waved away her apology. "It didn't get hurt, so don't be. Feel free to stop by and try them on any time you like."

"Thank you." She smiled at him. Takumi lightly grabbed her wrist and she followed him out into the cold street. He let her go and rather than turning left and checking the general store as he told his father he would he went right. Sakura feeling a little uncomfortable pointed this out. He stopped and looked at her before deciding to answer. "My mother died in a house fire a little over a year ago. Kyoto reminded Father too much of her so we left. That's the main reason we're here but he does wish to see the world. After the snow passes we're going to go somewhere else."

Sakura frowned. "Why are you-" Takumi shrugged. "I guess since you're a ninja you weren't going to buy the story he gave you. I honestly can't see how anyone believes it." He let out a bitter laugh. "Anyways I've got to head over to the store. Maybe I'll see you around." He didn't smile at her or blush when he said the last part, but his eyes were bright. "Um, sure," Sakura said with a light smile, absolutely sure he would see her again, whether she returned to the doll shop or not.

She gave Takumi a light wave and turned away, heading toward the only other place of real interest. Thunder grumbled on the horizon. The storm was approaching and would unleash its torrent on the village very soon.

The entered the tea house, her nose revelling in the aromas of pastries, coffee, and tea mingling in the air. Feeling in the need for something hot to drink she looked at the menu. The house special was mint tea. She ordered a hot steaming cup to go and a stick of dango to sample. It was early in the day, not even noon yet and even though a storm was coming she didn't like the idea of being cooped inside her room all day. Maybe she could see if Sakana could use any help at the clinic. At the very least Sakura would have somebody to talk to, and if Sakana got called away Sakura had two very good books hanging from her arm.

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading. The next chapter will be up shortly. Have a great year. **


	5. Mint

**Author's Note: This chapter starts off right where the last one left off. So the time skip is only a few minutes. I was worried about this chapter. I'm still worried about this chapter. This is my first time writing a horror/suspenseful story. Anyways I'm nervous about this chapter, but happy as well. I feel like I'm nearly half way done with this story. **

** I don't own Naruto or Vampire Princess Miyu.**

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><p>Forest of the Dolls<p>

Mint

When the bells on the door jangled announcing her arrival to the entre clinic, Sakura was immediately received by a dark glare from one of the two men she'd seen the evening before and a gracious smile from Sakana, who broke off her conversation to say: "Welcome Sakura."

"Hello," Sakura smiled at her, but she studied the tall masculine stranger out of the corner of her eye. It wasn't uncommon for civilians to fear even hate shinobi so it really bothered her, but it made her wary anyways.

The man cast her one more glare before muttering something to Sakana. Then he left breezing past Sakura without so much as a glance. She caught the troubled frown on the doctor's face as she stared after him. The frown turned upside down as she regarded Sakura.

"What can I do for you?"

"I came to see if you could use any help. I don't have anything to do at the moment." Sakana's smile faded slightly. "No I'm afraid there's not a whole lot you can do for me at the moment. Between me and the nurses we've got everything under control."

"Oh," Sakura frowned slightly put out. At least she had her books. "You should head back before that storm sets in." Sakana added.

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><p>Sakura wasn't sure how long after she had finished her dinner of noodles and fish and stared reading she'd fallen asleep. But she was painfully aware she had by the painful cramping in her hand dangling her still open book over the edge of the bed. Her senses were on high alert. The bedside lamp was off, which made no sense if she'd fallen asleep reading. Flicking the switch all she received were a series of fain clicks. There was no foreign chakra signature, but the little voice in the back of her head screaming danger made her leery.<p>

Surreptitiously, she pulled a kunai from the holster that had dug into her thigh as she slept and slid out of the bed.

Using the shadows for cover, she slunk across the room. Vaguely she noted the heavy rain from earlier had softened to a faint pitter-patter. Wreathed in shadow she drew a second kunai and frowned. Here was the tricky part. Should she kick open the bathroom door or the tiny stand-in closet door first? Which was a shinobi more likely to hide in? Shrugging she twisted the nob and threw open the bathroom door, pausing only to flick on the lights. The closet door swung open vibrating from the force of the impact with the wall. Tense, she crouched kunai in both hands, except nothing leapt from the shadows to kill her. Nothing moved and she felt the room was weighed down by a heavy silence.

After moment she straightened and returned only one kunai to her holster. She strode purposely across the mint green and white tiled floor and wrenched aside the shower curtain. As she suspected, nothing. Uttering an exasperated laugh she returned the other kunai to her holster as well-THUMP

Sakura whirled around poised fist glowing with chakra. Every hair on her arms and neck were on end and the voice in the back her head warning her of danger was going ballistic. That noise had come from the closet, but it was open and no one was in it. Could she be in a genjutsu? Quickly she summoned the chakra needed to escape. That's when she noticed it. She wasn't sure what it was. It was white and flat and round, but the light from the bathroom couldn't stretch that far. Hesitantly she crept forward, and paused at the threshold of the bathroom door and peered into the darkness of the bedroom. She was suddenly afraid. Afraid of cross that tiny yard-and-a-half gap to the closet. She felt as if she were to take some much as half a step beyond the frame of the door something would get her. She felt like she was being watched, which was crazy seeing as there was nobody there. She was being paranoid and irrational, but she couldn't shake the feeling of eyes boring into from her left.

She steeled herself to the best of her abilities and tentatively, hardly daring to let her foot touch the ground, took a single step out of the bathroom. Fearing the worst she felt relieved when nothing happened, but maybe the invisible force she was sure was across the bedroom was waiting for her the step into the open. Then again, she really should get a grip. What kind of shinobi got scared of the dark? Not any decent ones she'd ever heard of. It was pitiful and weak, allowed herself to be frightened by bumps in the night. Feeling irritated at her bizarre lack of discipline she took another step forward and another and another.

The floorboards creaked beneath her feet as she knelt down to pick the item up. Immediately the pop of an electrical buzz made her leap to her feet. The lamp flickered: dimmed, darkened, and grew brighter only to darken again, buzzing with electricity all the while, before with one last pop it turned on and the bulb glowed as the lamp stayed on. Immediately, the room grew warm as a chill she hadn't realized had been there was gone, dissipating like vapour. The voice fell silent and the goose flesh that had broken out across her skin disappeared.

She stood stock still, gripping the thing in her hand, hardly daring to move. The feeling of be watched was gone, her senses were no longer tingling. She felt almost safe, but she hardly dared to move.

Stiffly she returned to her bed. Her green eyes constantly shifted about the room as she climbed back into the bed. She was going to leave the lights on as she slept tonight, not that she planned to fall asleep after that little event anyways.

She looked at what she was holding. It was a flat white circle; perfectly symmetrical in shape. It was perfectly flat and incredibly smooth. She couldn't name the material it was made out of, but after a few experimental bends, she found it was relatively stiff and only gave a tiny bit. But what it was or what its purpose was she couldn't begin to fathom. She frowned slightly when she flipped it over.

"Scorpion." The word was written in crimson was emblazoned across the white surface of the circle. What did that even mean? "Scorpion?" Did the word mean something?

She studied the circle for a long time, flipping it around periodically, but an explanation of the word never appeared on the opposite side of the disk. Finally frustrated and unable to come up with any answers she placed it the bedside table and flopped on her side. She repositioned herself so she could see the entire room as she attempted to doze, but even though see wanted to rest and had managed to convince herself that the incident a half hour ago was a dream, sleep eluded her.

* * *

><p>Groggily Sakura shifted and opened her eyes. Lethargically she stretched and sat up not even bothering to look out the window. She could hear the rain falling at a steady rhythm. The white disk stood out against the dark wood of the night stand bringing back memories from last night. She ran her finger over the smooth cool surface of the disk. What was scorpion supposed to stand for?<p>

Still tired from her lack of sleep she considered snuggling back under her covers to sleep a few more hours, but it was eight and that already late. She grabbed her shoes and put them on her feet before shuffling to the door. She wasn't hungry, but a really strong coffee sounded wonderful.

"Why is mint so popular here?" Sakura asked. The barista smiled. "Well a very special variety of mint grows here and only here. It's therapeutic and pain relieving powers greatly out way the benefits of any other mint species. It was cultivated here in the village and we take great pride in our achievement." She gave a short laugh. "It's the reason why the inn is mint green and brown. But where it grows is a secret that this village keeps very close to its heart." She frowned then, as if remembering something. Sakura wondered what that something could be, but decided it was best not ask.

Then the lady's smile was back, and she had a mischievous glint in her eye. "Have you been to the doll shop? The old man and his son Takumi; oh you have to meet his son, come from a foreign land. You must meet Takumi if you get the chance. He is such a sweet young gentlemen-"

At that very minute Takumi stepped through the door. The bell rang as the door shut softly behind him. "I'll have two cups of mint tea." He said stepping to the counter. He stopped by Sakura's shoulder and looked to his right to face her. "Good morning Sakura."

"Ah you've already met? I tell you: you'll never meet a guy as good as him. Every young girl in the village fancies him." The barista smiled. "Even my own daughter; she has great taste for a four year old." The lady added winking at Sakura conspiratorially. Feeling very awkward and out place Sakura kept silent. She wanted to look at Takumi to see what his reaction was, but fought back the urge.

"Bozoku stopped by for tea this morning," the barista said as she placed their orders on the counter. She was looking pointedly at Takumi.

With a quiet word of thanks Sakura departed and braving the freezing rain hurried to her apartment.

* * *

><p>The barista watched the pink haired ninja leave, waiting for the door to close before continuing. Kuran went out play yesterday afternoon, stopped by the house briefly to check in with her parents before running off again. The girl never returned home. None of her friends have seen her, but Bozoku has been swearing up and down he saw portents predicting bad things were coming to this village."<p>

Takumi let a light frown mar his chiselled features. "We haven't been here long, but I've been under the impression that he's superstitious." The barista nodded scrubbing down her clean counter feeling the need to keep her hands busy.

"His mint plant died. Pink slugs stripped it bare of its leaves." The barista looked up from her work with look that said 'you know that's bad.'

"This is the same man who says he saw a demon in the woods," Takumi stated with his soft spoken monotone.

"I believe he did see something. At the very least I believe there is something that protects this village. That stranger came to town and all those weird things started happening and finally, he was gone. He vanished into thin air. They searched his room in the hotel and all his stuff was still there: scrolls and weapons. No one knows what happened to him, but as soon as he disappeared everything returned to normal."

Takumi remembered that man. He'd visited the doll shop on more than one occasion, fascinated by the style and uniqueness of the Kyoto dolls. He'd come from Wind Country and had only seen puppets and Raggedy Anne. Then he disappeared and the last one who saw him was Takumi's own father, yet nobody but he and his old man knew that.

"I suppose I see you point, but the word demon and good don't really fit in the same sentence." The barista laughed, nodding profusely. "Then perhaps it was an angel." Takumi shook his head taking his two cups of tea. "I'll see you later," he said over his shoulder before stepping out of the tea house.

Demons, he mused. He wondered if such things actually existed. That red haired stranger probably had, not that he'd ever asked him. That stranger had come searching for the mint this village had learned to grow and that had freaked the villagers out, because no one the outside was supposed to know, yet he'd heard of it somehow. The man had wanted to see how much the herb could dull pain, and had offered a copious amount of money for a single plant. It had been more money than anyone in the village had seen at one time. Whoever he'd been, he'd been a bad person in life more than likely. Just the aura that had accompanied him wherever he went had been warning enough. Nevertheless, the villagers refused to divulge their secret and that was when the demon appeared, but rather than terrorize the village it terrorized him.

Takumi ducked inside the door of the doll shop happy to be out of the rain.

* * *

><p>The rain was icy and froze the skin where it landed. And two steaming cups in her hands did nothing to alleviate the stinging cold. The rain falling incessantly from the grey clouds was enough to wake her up. Still the coffee and hot tea would flush out the cold once she was back in her room and able to drink them comfortably.<p>

The whole lobby smelled of mint and warmth as she entered the inn. At his desk talking to a lanky man wearing a thick plaid jacket sat the inn keeper with a steaming green cup I his hand. She perched next to the fire, relaxing as the cold seeped from her wet limbs.

She closed her eyes as she sipped her coffee, enjoying the sensation of hot liquid running down her oesophagus. Vaguely she was aware of the inn keeper and man laughing at some joke, not really bothering to pay attention, until the scrawny man mentioned 'ninja.'

Sakura's ears perked up, but she retained her relaxed pose smiling happily into her cup of nearly finished coffee; about ready to drink her tea.

"He came two years ago. That one. Well I heard earlier-and I went out to check, myself- Kuran's gone."

"What?" The innkeeper's voice was high and Sakura would have heard him whether she straining to hear their whispered conversation or not. "What happened?"

Sakura set her coffee cup down and started drinking her tea. "No idea." There was a weighted silence in the room all the sudden. Sakura merely sipped her tea, but the hairs on her neck stood on end. "You don't think…" The inn keeper trailed off. "No idea," The lanky man reiterated.

"Did you hear what Bozoku's been saying?" The lanky man asked. He inn keeper scoffed. "Bozoku's crazy and so is that fool tea lady for listening to him." The man laughed, his hunched shoulders bouncing. No arguing with that." He continued to laugh.

"But just 'cause I'm curious," the inn keeper whispered seriously. "What did Bozoku say?" The man laughed harder. "Said the trees were talking, and when he returned to the house after helping with Kuran his mint plant was dead: eaten to the stem by slugs."

Both fell silent as the room's pink haired occupant got up, threw her foam cups into a waste basket by the door and headed up stairs.

"So do you think She could have... you know?" the inn keeper bobbed his head toward the stairs. The man squinted. "Bozoku's crazy. Wouldn't be the first time child's gotten lost in the woods: go exploring, find something interesting, go out to look for it again and wander too far from home. It's better to wait and see before we get ahead of ourselves."

"Yes, I suppose you're right, but children have disappeared before. She could have something to do with it." The inn keeper replied.

"Eh, I've heard similar responses from the other villagers. Bozoku's been to Sakana twice now, warning her of bad portents. Fact of the matter is Bozoku just isn't right in the head. Went rock climbing as a child and fell one too many times most likely."

"I went to see her and it's a good thing she doesn't buy into that stuff easily. Last thing this village needs is a crazy doctor taking care of the sick."

The inn keeper smiled grimmly. "You're probably right, but still-"

"Give it time. Odds are Kuran will find her way home: probably got caught in the rain and had to hunker down somewhere. Things'll work out fine."

The inn keeper nodded and their conversation moved to the lighter and stress free topic of: what would happen if the snows came early and the shipment of supplies didn't get to the village in time?

* * *

><p>Sakura quickly rushed to the window that was wide open. The drenched green curtains were dripping water onto her pillow. She slammed the stiff window shut and flipped the latch to lock it in place. One of the house keepers had probably come in to clean, not that there was much to clean and had forgotten to leave it open. But who would open a window in this sort weather to begin with? The room was a freezer. She went over to the door where the thermostat hung on the wall and turned on the heater.<p>

Still damp from the rain and now once again cold, a hot shower sounded like a very appealing idea. She grabbed a spare article of clothing, scowling at her bag. If she'd known she'd be stuck in the village for more than a couple days she would have packed more.

She'd do her laundry when she was out of the shower. It wasn't a big deal. She stepped into the freezing bathroom and froze. The tub was filled to brim with water. She set her clothing on the counter and stripped, tossing the dirty slept in garments on the floor haphazardly.

She reached into the water in the tub, shuddering at how cold it was and pulled the plug. Standing up to quickly escape the chill of the water she stood watching it drain. There was a loud thud and she grabbed her shirt and shorts on the floor and threw them back on not caring if they were inside out or backwards and hastily darted into the bedroom. She scowled as she once again leaped onto the bed to close the wide open window.

She closed the window and using the faintest amount of strength enhancing chakra to latch the lock shut. She pushed against the window, satisfied it wouldn't give she checked the lock one more time before going to take her shower.

* * *

><p>Warm and dry in her last clean articles of clothing Sakura stepped into the still freezing bedroom. And like she had twice already, returned to the bed and shut the window with the loud bam only an irate, tired kunoichi could produce. Satisfied the window was shut Sakura sat back and glared at the window daring it to open itself.<p>

Ten minutes went by and the window remained in place, acting as a steadfast shield against the icy rain outside. Finally bored and tired of glaring at a window she hopped off the bed and gathered her dirty laundry from the foot of her bed and the bathroom floor and headed for the door.

Just as Sakura turned the doorknob and nudged the moving wooden wall out he way with her foot, there was a loud slam behind her and the sound of torrential rain was magnified tenfold. She would have rolled her eyes, if it hadn't been for the chill that had nothing to do with the sudden draft shimmying down her spine erupting goose bumps across her physique.

Sakura hastened from the roo, at a very fast walk. The window letting in a chilly draft suddenly didn't matter. Let the room freeze. The window could stay open just as long as she didn't have to remain in the room for another second.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Each chapter will start where the last one left off. I will inform you when this will not be the case. Thank you for reading this. I hope you liked it and decide to continue reading it.<strong>


	6. Obscurity

**Author's Note: WOW 68 HITS IN 1 DAY! I LOVE YOU GUYS! THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. YOU'VE MADE MY ENTIRE MONTH!**

** Yes a whole month has gone by and I'm STILL smiling about the number of hits this story got last January. Thank you all for reading it or at least taking the time to scope this fanfic out. I appreciate it. I will warn you now. This chapter is relatively slow compared to the previous ones, but exceedingly important none the less. I don't write filler chapters: it's not my style, but is does make it hard to maintain a fast pace chapter to chapter**_**. IF anyone has any advice on how to mitigate this problem please let me know ^_^**_

**I do not own Vampire Princess Miyu or Naruto and I never will.**

* * *

><p><strong>The Forest of the Dolls<strong>

**Obscurity**

"Goodbye Sakura," Takumi said getting the door for her, like a gentlemanly vision of Sasuke. She blushed and she was sure he noticed. Willing her cheeks not be pink, she turned around.

"Again thank you for allowing me to stay for so long." She laughed uneasily. Somehow two and a half hours had passed during the time she'd been in the doll shop trying on kimonos and conversing with Takumi and his father. "Oh no problem dear, come again any time you want."

Sakura's grin widened. "I will." She gave Takumi a pleasant smile before stepping out into the cold rain. She started off in the direction of the inn. She was not at all looking forward to entering her strange room, but she was cold and her shirt was quickly soaking through.

* * *

><p>"Tag you're it!" a boy shouted leaping over a rock to avoid being tagged back. His friend seeing he'd missed turned to chase a third boy who was standing a few feet away, but the third boy darted away too quickly, so the child decided to seek retribution by tagging the one who'd tagged him. Except when he turned back toward the rock his friend was gone. He ran up to the rock, which sat at the top of a small knoll.<p>

He sprinted to the top, leaning against the rock panting for breath. The three of them had been playing for hours and the dark sky was getting darker.

This side of the hillock he was looking down was steep and declined into the forest that surrounded the village. Halfway down the slope stood the one who'd tagged him, staring off into the trees, distracted. In other words it was time to get him. He flew down the slope, his thin soaked jacket sticking to him. He stretched out his hand.

Success! The boy grinned triumphantly, except the older of the two was distracted and staring off into the trees with a far away expression.

"Toshiro?"

"Toshiro?" He poked the older boy.

"Toshiro!" The boy blinked hard as he was shaken roughly.

"I tagged you." The smaller of the two gazed up at him, a sheen of worry glazing his grey eyes.

Toshiro rubbed his sopping hair out of his eyes. He was getting chills standing in the rain. "Toshiro you're it," the third boy said from slightly behind him.

"I saw something." Toshiro said staring into the trees. "Wanna check it out?"

"We can't go in there!" the boy who tagged him cried. "Daddy said saw a demon in those trees."

"Phht!" Toshiro snorted. "He was just saying that to scare you-"

"Those are just old wives tales anyways." The third boy said.

The boy clinging to Toshiro's arm shook his head. "Daddy said he saw sompthin last night. Daddy said it has a garden of singing trees. Daddy-"

"Singing trees?" Toshiro looked down at the shorter boy excitedly. "Want to go look for them?"

"Daddy said it's dangerous. A man never came back. Daddy said he'd 'tan my hide if I were to go looking for them.'"

"You're just being a Baby."

"Toshiro?" Momichi turned to the other boy. "Hikaru tell him not to."

"You're being a baby Momichi." Hikaru repeated his friend.

"No, I'm not a baby. I just don't want to get in trouble."

"Only babies are afraid of their Daddies," Hikaru countered.

"I'm not going in there and you can't neither, because your Daddy'll kill you."

"Fine." Toshiro shrugged. "Go home. Go home and tell Daddy. I'm not afraid of him."

Toshiro wrenched his arm away from Momichi's grip. "Come on Hikaru. The baby can find his way home." Together the two boys dashed into the trees cackling with glee: the falling rain hiding them from view. There was a faint popping noise. He wasn't sure how he heard it over the continuous rain, but he did. The hairs on his neck stood on end and he shivered.

"Toshiro come back!"

For a long while Momichi stood, staring at the forest in a strange mixture of fear, curiosity, and anger. He jumped at the sound of a loud snap. "I'm not a baby!" he shouted at the trees. His voice was drowned out by the rain. He wiped the cold water from his pale face.

Snap-The rain suddenly got ten degrees colder. He turned around gazing into the trees a hill away. Another branch snapped to his left and a small sob escaped his lips. They were going to be in so much trouble.

"Toshiro!" he shouted into the rain as he trembled. Another snap. He jumped, whimpering. "Hikaru!"

SNAP- this time followed by a peel laughter floating through the trees.

"This isn't funny anymore! You're gonna be in a lot of TROUBLE!" The threat didn't ease his fear or the cold chill that covered him in an icy blanket, but it made him feel a little better, anyhow. He could go home, but if he did- snap! Momichi jumped, small hands tightening into fists. He was going to beat his older brother when he came out of the woods. It didn't matter if he was two years older or not. This game wasn't funny anymore….

There was a soft thud followed by a clatter directly behind him.

Momichi whirled about freezing in surprise. A puppet a little smaller than himself himself, with knee-high brown boots, plaid overalls with a patch on one knee and a tear on the other, strapped over a long white sleeve shirt, under a light plaid jacket, and a night cap perched precariously on his head was sitting at the foot of the large boulder. Its bright blue eyes gazed at him over a round cork shaped nose.

Momichi smiled at himself sheepishly, his fear dissipating immediately. The puppet wasn't the least bit scary. Curious, Momichi squatted down to the puppet's level and his fingers lightly brushed the doll's hair. It was dry. Smiling, he gazed at the puppet and reached to set the hat more erect on the dampening hair, when small narrow wooden fingers closed around his slender wrist in a vice like grip. He wrenched his arm back but couldn't break free. The puppet's light blue eyes flashed and glowed.

_"Don't touch the hat."_

In the middle of Third Shinobi War the brave, heroic ninja fighting for the glory of his country, falls to the sopping ground gasping in pain. With the last of his strength the ninja reaches into his holster to slay his enemy with a well aimed pinecone. The roar of pounding rain was split by a scream and the two ninjas once again two young boys, raced through the trees toward the heart wrenching sound.

"Momichi!" Hikaru shouted as the he breeched the tree line and ran up the rocky slope of the hill they'd been playing tag on not long before.

"Shit," Toshiro cursed behind him. "Momichi, this isn't funny? You got ten seconds to show yourself!"

"Momichi! Where are you?" Hikaru shouted squinting through his dripping brown hair and the rain. They had several mistakes already that day, the least of which being sneaking out of their houses to play in the freezing rain, when winter's chill was weeks if not days away. He looked at Toshiro who was shouting for Momichi to leave his hiding spot and apologize for scaring them. He didn't want the cost of their mistakes to be his best friend's younger brother.

"Momichi!"

Ten seconds passed and Momichi didn't appear.

* * *

><p>It was with trepidation that Sakura pushed open her bedroom door with a steaming bowl of soup from the bar in her hand.<p>

The window was closed, the curtains no longer dripping, and her pillow was stained a dark green where it had been drowned by the window over the bed. The window had closed during her absence and the only reminders of the event were the wet curtains dripping onto her water stained pillow.

Heaving a sigh she set the soup down on the night stand, or she would have if the white disk that had "scorpion" written across it had not been there. She nudged it to the side setting her warm bowl down. She picked up the strange artefact again. Worrying her lip between her teeth she closed the bedroom door, mulling over her bizarre predicament. The night she'd found it was the night strange things started happening in this room. For some reason she had the feeling that this simple round white thing in her hand was significant. She glanced around the small bedroom in perplexed nervousness.

The room was eerily quiet and as she stood rubbing circles along the edges of the disc in her hands she wished something would happen, just to end the suddenly overbearing silence. Maybe the window would burst open again so the crescendo of rain could drown out the silence.

At that moment she hated the room, hated the inn, and hated her mission. How she suddenly wished to be anywhere else.

"Well?" she finally demanded. "Aren't you going to do something?"

Nothing happened. '_Figures'_ she thought grumpily. _"__And you're talking to a window."_ The voice in her head which had been silent for the majority of her time in the room chimed in. Sakura smiled grimly at the words. She must have sounded crazy talking to a window. She probably was crazy. So she fell silent preferring to stand and glare at the window.

"I'm going… to brush my teeth," she announced abruptly. With that she strode into the bathroom, pricking her ears for any sound discernable over the sink.

She returned to the bedroom, to find nothing. Maybe the widow had been another dream. Maybe she'd been sleepwalking… maybe she'd been hallucinating, or maybe she needed to get out this room and find a place where she could analyze the situation rationally.

Where could she go? The sun was going down soon. She'd spent an entire day at the doll shop. She still couldn't fathom how time could travel so quickly. Maybe it something to with the fact that the old owner of the shop had millions of fabulous kimonos or maybe it was because he had a fabulous looking son or it could have been a combination of the two, but she quickly pushed the second possibility from her mind. Takumi may have looked like Sasuke and have spoken like Sasuke, but he wasn't Sasuke.

Giving the window one last dirty look for good measure she slumped onto the bed and ate her steaming soup surrounded by an abnormally thick silence.

Sleep swung like a pendulum between fretful awareness and lurid dreams. When Sakura opened her eyes in the morning in dire need of using the bathroom she wasn't surprised to find larges bags under her eyes as she gazed at herself in the mirror.

She splashed water on her face, feeling a little less groggy. She patted her face dry with a small fluffy green hand towel and stepped back into the bedroom. What an awful night. What was it about this room that made it so weird? It was as if she wasn't alone. She was sure she had heard voices and footsteps last night. There were times she could vaguely recall sitting up, knife in hand looking for someone or something in her room; asking if anyone was there or threatening people she couldn't to get out. What was troubling was she couldn't remember if she'd really been awake in those moments or if those were just dreams.

'_Maybe the room's haunted?' _she mentally scoffed. Ghosts weren't real. She walked over to the bed and froze. She'd been wrong. Something was out of place. Something round and white with red letters brazened across it was lying on the floor where it wasn't supposed to be. She picked it up and glared at it. Everything weird started when she found this thing.

She glanced out the window. Everything was grey and wet, but the rain seemed to have finally stopped. Today would be a good day to visit the clinic and see if Sakana needed any help.

Tossing the circle onto the pillow she reached into her bag and pulled out her apron. She was walking to the door still tying it around her waist, when the faint clatter of something falling to the floor reached her ears. She looked over her shoulder to see the disc was no longer on her blankets.

* * *

><p>Sakura's walk to the clinic was different that morning. Her hackles rose the moment she stepped into the frigid air. Instinctually her hand was poised above her holster. In paranoia she compulsively swivelled her head left to right, right to left and even turned around more than once feeling that something was about to get her. There was nothing there. The street behind her and the few alleys between the houses were vacant and deserted. The few villagers that were out were hastily making last minute preparations for winter and they hardly spared her a glance as they went about their business. Yet as her gaze passed over the houses searching for the source of her discomfort she fancied she saw curtains abruptly close, and again in peripheral vision.<p>

Nothing ever jumped out at her and no one threatened her. Indeed it seemed she was truly paranoid, that between her shadowy dreams, nefarious window, and peculiar white disc she'd lost it, but deep down she knew such gut feelings meant something and that this could not simply be chalked up wariness and caution. Disgruntled by the atmosphere and the inability to detect what was wrong, she stepped into the clinic and like always the bells rang to announce her entry into the clinic.

A nurse rather than Sakana was sitting at the front desk. She was probably a little older than Sakura with mousy brown hair. She looked up from the stack of papers in her hands.

"Can I help you?" She asked with a solemn monotone. She was the exact opposite of Sakana who was always in high spirits and conversing with whoever happened to be in the room. "I'm looking for Sakana."

"Yes, well I'm afraid she's out at the moment."She stated in a tone that suggested it should have been fairly obvious. "There was a town meeting last night and as of yet none of them have returned."

"Do you know when they'll be back?" Sakura asked. Unnameable emotions flickered in the nurse's eyes. "It's rare for such meetings to last so long. I'm not sure what the holdup is, but I imagine she'll be back soon."

"I wanted to know if she needed any help." Sakura said feeling a lit irritated. Now what was she supposed to do: go back to the room? Maybe she'd visit the doll shop. Takumi and his father enjoyed her company. However she'd spent the entirety of the previous day with them and dolls really weren't her cup of tea. Maybe she could stop in briefly to say 'hi'.

"No, I'm afraid not, but I'll be more than happy to tell her you dropped by," she said in such a way that she in fact would be more than unhappy to do so, but none the less the nurse picked up a pen and note pad and jotted down what Sakura could only assume was reminder to tell Sakana she'd dropped in.

Narrowing her eyes ever so slightly Sakura smiled and with concealed force, pleasantly smiled and said "Thank you very much," before turning on her heel and stepping back outside into the brisk cold with its persistent chill of a different sort.

Peeved at the nurse-what the Hell had been her issue anyway?- Sakura meandered toward the doll shop. But as she got closer to her destination, the hairs began to stand on the back of her neck once more and the feeling of being watched returned and she was soon all but making a beeline for the doll shop door. She froze in her tracks as she stood on the wooden step just outside. The store was closed and no familiar chakra signatures were inside. Perhaps Takumi and his father were at the meeting as well then?

She looked at the inn, although more specifically she looked at her bedroom window. Now what? She asked herself. Behind her down one of the side streets she heard voices and turning to look she spotted Takumi and his father approaching the store.

Sakura, suppressed the urge to fidget for the air between the three of them felt tense. Which was weird. Takumi had greeted her in his usual velvety deadpan voice and his father as always smiled at her and gave her a cordial "hello," but there was something off about the interchange and it made her cautious.

"Will you be joining us for brunch?" Takumi's father asked as he unlocked the shop door and held it open for his son to pass through. "Uh, no." Sakura frowned. "I happened be to out and I just got back from the clinic and I thought I'd stop by. I had no idea you were closed."

"Ah yes. There was a meeting this morning and we were summoned to participate. Winter is upon and we're expecting a shipment of goods, but there is concern that the convoy may have been delayed by the rains we've had, especially since there's more rain to come."

Sakura nodded, her brow furrowed. If those herbs Tsunade sent her to get didn't arrive her mission would be a failure. Well in part anyways. She did have majority of what was on her list, still she hated the possibility of leaving with her mission only partially completed. She didn't want to let Tsunade down, but her village needed her and she couldn't wait around indefinitely.

"There's more rain coming?" She asked unable to keep all her mounting frustration out of her voice. "There's always rain especially during the fall and early days of winter. It's supposed to snow in the middle of the rain storms. It's a fantastic sight to see lightning aching across the sky in a flurry, not that I've had the chance to see it myself personally, but I have heard that it's a great way to start a winter."

"That sounds very cool," Sakura conceded. Together they stood in brief silence interrupted only by the soft rustling of Takumi in the workshop.

"If you're feeling peckish you're more than welcome to join us for a late breakfast. How does rice and steamed chicken dumplings sound?" The old man asked with a wrinkled smile. "Actually I ate before I left I the inn. I'm not all that hungry, but thank you for the offer."

"Oh no I insist." The old man said. "It was my wife's recipe for dumplings."

"Takumi." He called and after a moment his dark haired son appeared from a side door. "Why don't you take a break and see to our guest? Your project can wait till later." His father passed them and entered a side room.

"Our house is connected to the shop. That door connects to our kitchen," Takumi explained as he followed her gaze. Sakura blinked and stared at him. He was observant, too observant for an ordinary civilian.

"We don't have anything new made that you would interesting, but I came across a kimono the other day. It was buried in a trunk. I think Father may have forgotten it, if you want to have a look."

Sakura shrugged. "It sounds really nice, but I really don't want to-"

Takumi gave her a light frown. "Father love's the company. And there a very few people in this village my age who don't try to fight me or put moves on me." Sakura raised an eyebrow at his choice of words, but she believed him. He stayed within the confines of the doll shop with his father and that wasn't typical adolescent male behaviour, so there had to be a reason for it. "You're the only person in this village who hasn't tried anything on me," he continued.

They were walking toward the back of the shop and they stopped at the left hand door where the kimonos were stored. "So stop worrying about ruining our breakfast because you're not." Sakura offered him a small contrite smile. Takumi faced the door. "Shall we?"

He turned the handle, but it didn't budge. "Hmm, I don't recall locking it." He jiggled it again, frowning as it didn't turn. "Let me try," Sakura offered. She grasped the door handle and removed something form her apron pocket. She raised her hand holding the small object and put against the lock. Seconds later she jiggled the handle and pushed the door open, smiling at Takumi's wide eyed stare.

"Ninja," she smiled holding up her hand to show him the lock pick. After a moment he smiled faintly and shaking his head in amusement stepped through the door and flicked on the lights.

In the centre of the room was a mirror with a burgundy kimono draped over it. Takumi strode over and held it up for her to see. It was absolutely breath taking. It was her favourite colour. Embroidered across the silky surface of the fabric were golden blossoms attached to gilded branches, with their petals blowing through the burgundy air by a nonexistent breeze. It really did seem like the gold petals were being whisked away by the wind; an optical illusion caused by the shifting of the cloth as Takumi stepped toward her and held it out for her to take. Wanting to touch it and run the fabric through her fingers she quickly returned her lock pick to her apron pocket, but as she did so her fingers brushed something cool and hard: something that she hadn't felt there before.

Her heart thumped, as her fingers slowly closed around the object. An object that's shape and texture had been burned into her memory the last few days. A chill crept over her. Takumi must have noticed something was wrong because he asked if she thought the kimono was ugly enough to sicken her

"No." She slowly withdrew the white disc from her pocket and stared at the bright red kanji with wide eyes. Takumi draped the kimono back over the mirror and took the circle from her puzzled as to what had come over her. Bemused, he offered his hand out to take the round object from her. After a second she placed it in his hand with cold fingers. He gazed at her. Her eyes were still wide and her face was a startling shade of white. Her shoulders were tense and her posture rigid. One hand was balled into a tight fist as she stood staring at him.

He glanced down and a something flashed across his. The face of the man to whom this little disc belonged flashed across his mind's eye. He knew the origins of this object and what it symbolized.

"What is it?" He asked in a puzzled voice as he stared at it. Flipping over in his hands and turning about. "I don't know." Sakura answered. She seemed to be calming down. He frowned at the round a moment longer. It seemed more than just the man's memory lingered in the village if she had come across this. He gave back to her. "You don't look too good. Why don't you get some rest and I'll tell Father you were feeling unwell," which didn't appear to far from the truth.

"What does it mean?" She asked after a moment.

"What?"

"What does scorpion mean?" Sakura reiterated.

"I have no idea," Takumi answered as he found an empty hanger to drape the kimono on the rack with. "Oh." She slid it back into her pocket. It was obvious she believed he was clueless.

"I think I will go home." She said. She didn't want to leave. She didn't want to go back to the apartment, not with the disc in her pocket, but at the same time she wasn't quite ready to reveal what had taken place in the apartment. Takumi nodded, and gently led her out of the room and the shop. She smiled at him as he held the shop door open for her. His lips quirked slightly and he told her to be careful before shutting the door softly behind her.

"Takumi." He turned to see his father standing behind him his usual smile nothing more than a grim line. "What happened?" the old man asked.

"I think that accursed red-head still has some fight left in him."


	7. Silence of the Lambs

**Author's Note: To all my readers, I just wanted to say: You all are amazing. The real Author's not will be at the end this time and it is fairly important.**

**I do not own Naruto or Vampire princess Miyu, Thank you ^_^**

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><p><span>Forest of the Dolls<span>

Silence of the Lambs

Takumi turned his gaze toward the window when his father disappeared, a light frown barely noticeable, twitching at the corners of his mouth. He watched pink hair bob toward the inn. She passed through the door and was lost from his view.

There was a flicker in the corner of his eye and he turned to see drapes of an upstairs window of a house swinging. His eyes narrowed and he pulled away from the window. He hated the villagers in this place.

"Father I'm going to the tea-house. I'll be back for lunch!" He called before leaving. He shut the door making sure the shop sign said closed before heading toward his destination.

"Mint tea please," Takumi said putting money down on the counter. The barista smiled at him like she normally did, but she seemed he wasn't in a particularly talkative mood. The moment the tea touched the counter top in front of him, he grabbed it, not bothering to collect his change and found a seat facing away from her prying worried eyes. He silently mulled over his thoughts as he swirled the light foam in the steaming cup with his finger.

He loved mint, it smelled like his mother. She used to drink mint tea and the sent always lingered about her: warm, soothing, and comforting like an embrace. He supposed the village's only redeeming quality was the reconnection their mint allowed him to have with his memories, but setting that aside he loathed the place, and last night had left a foul vinegar in his mouth that no sweet tea could swash out.

_The previous night__..._

"She's a menace!" a man shouted thrusting his fist into the air. Other voices of outrage cried out their opinions as well.

"But there is nothing to fear," an older man spoke in a placating tone. "Bozoku has seen the demon. It has returned to protect us and soon it will rid us of our unwanted guest." Muttering followed those words as did contentious voices. "You would rather trust the ramblings of a lunatic than logic!"

Immediately a number of voices siding and opposing that opinion rose, and the walls of the barn where the meeting was being held rattled under the onslaught of the cry that sliced the noise.

"My son," a woman stood from her seat staring each in the face, "is missing!" She fell back into her chair utterly spent and her grief fell like a weight on the shoulders of the assembly. A hand, strong and robust with grit colouring the nails a dirty brown reached comfortingly for her shoulder.

"My daughter has also vanished."

"So what is to be done?" a young man, probably in his early twenties asked. "That's what we're here to decide," a voice answered him.

"Well nothing can be decided until Bozoku and the Doll Maker have arrived." A short plump little woman with streaks in her dark hair spoke up. "The kettle on the fire is still hot, so let's have some tea while we wait for them." She offered the people in her house a warm smile and gestured toward the fire emphasizing her point. It was out of courtesy that she even said anything. The meeting was being held in her home so it was only hospitable that she offer refreshments while they waited for the commencement of the genuine meeting. On top of that, the ruckus of loud voices had given her a splitting migraine the likes of which only the strongest of mint teas could alleviate.

"Sakana, would you like a cup?" a young woman asked holding out the steaming temptation. Etiquette would have her refuse the cup, because drinking before one's guests was considered rude, but being a doctor merited her a status that outranked the villagers around her. She gently took the cup from the woman next to her and took a deep breath sighing as the sweet nectar rising from the hot liquid soothed her senses before passing it to an older man on her right. He smiled at her as he took it.

Sighs of contentment filled the space as people tasted their stresses being soothed. Their special variety of mint had worked its magic once again as people who'd been vehemently arguing with one another before began to quietly discuss petty matters to pass the time.

"We should just kill the bloody girl and be done with it," someone mused out loud for the congregation to hear.

"It would be best to wait. It's not rare for children to go playing and wander a little too far in the woods. Besides there's a party searching for them now. They both might turn up in a day or two. They could be coming home right now, for all we know. If we act hastily blood might shed when it doesn't need to be. In any event we can't make a decision until our 'rambling lunatic' makes an appearance." It was the old man who had sought to pacify the angry voices before. He was a bent old man with hair white like snow and a single piercing bright blue eye.

A woman behind Sakana stood brandishing a shaking finger of accusation in his direction. "You would have us wait? For what?" Fury wracked her frame. "For more children to disappear! Is that what you propose we do?" she screeched. "The last time the mint crop failed, that devil with red hair came. And those children, disappeared. My own sixteen year old daughter betrothed to a young man at the time took a fancy to him died too! He killed them all, the Bastard. May he rot in Hell!" she snarled spitting at the ground. "And you! How dare you sit there and tell us to wait and make more mothers and fathers suffer through the pain I've had to carry for the last two years. You're the rambling lunatic." The old man sat calmly in the onslaught of her stormy wrath.

Sakana's dropped into her hand as the migraine returned abruptly and acutely. "Dear," she tapped the shoulder of the woman next to her. "Might I have a cup of tea?"

"Oh certainly Sakana-sama," the woman smiled.

"And you the woman cried asking for tea: Bloody Tea at a time like this!" The woman cried. "With missing children to think about-"

Sakana stood, whirling on the woman, the chair she'd been sitting in knocked to the floor by her wide rump. "Shut up you Prune!" The woman's fury died down and she stared at the short doctor with wide green eyes. "Everyone in this room remembers him, what happened two years ago. No one has forgotten, and everyone here grieves for your loss, but Kohito has made a valid point. It is better to wait, at least until the scouts' return, before we act."

"Two years Sakana, that devil disappeared. I want blood Sakana. I want retribution. You can wait for this pink haired monstrosity to steal away more children," she sniffed, before addressing the crowd. "But mark my words; you're going to regret that choice. The price of your decision will be the cost of many more children!" She glared at Sakana. "Let me know when this village is ready for the retribution it deserves."

She turned on her heal and brusquely strode to the door, her dark dress flapping like and angry rave's wings at her feet. A heavy silence filled the room.

Sakana let out a breath before bending to pick up her chair. Sitting she was promptly offered a steaming cup of tea she didn't have to refused. She offered the woman a small word of thanks and with refined delicacy took a sip of the scalding cup.

"She's crazy," a man said, daring to break the quiet hush that had fallen over the room.

"Yeah," a man sitting next to him approved. "She works at the tea house on weekends. You don't suppose we should be concerned about her poisoning our tea do you?"

The first man laughed and Sakana cracked a small smile as she indulged in another taste of her mint tea.

A third man bent towards them. "Only if you're a pink haired menace." They laughed and Sakana sitting only a few chairs away shook her head at their ability to make light of such a dreary topic.

The door opened and all laughter ceased and all eyes turned toward the door. Bozoku,a grizzly old man of tall stature strode through the door, proceeded by the doll maker and his son Takumi. Sakana glanced about know the younger women in the room: single ladies in their early twenties were wearing different shades of pink as they stared at the dark haired teen. His intelligent charcoal eyes swept the room over once. He didn't sit down with the young men his age or stroll over to the young ladies ogling him. Instead he found an empty chair for his father and remained at his side preferring to stand.

Bozoku stepped into the empty space at the centre of the room, his eyes misty with cataracts sweeping over the congregation. "There are ill portents at hand. Bad things are nigh. Yes the demon that watches over us and protects us from the evils of this world has returned. I have seen it twice in two days. History is repeating itself, tis true, but justice will come on swift wings I feel."

"My father's health wanes and it is absolute madness to call a meeting at such an hour. Would it be all right if I walk him and speak for him in his place?" Takumi's voice asked in his customary monotone, but his eyes displayed concern

"You're not an adult yet, boy. Until then you are not permitted to speak without your father." Takumi glanced at the man who had spoken. "Then might I ask why I am here if only his voice is supposed to talk?"

Bozoku turned toward the boy, his eyes searching him over. Takumi hated those cloudy, milky eyes that peered deep into the soul. "Are you close to the girl?"

"I suppose we get along well enough."

To his right a man cackled. "I see her go to your shop every day." Takumi shrugged. "She likes the dolls. I can't turn away customers our livelihood depends on them."

Across the room an aged withered white haired man with striking blue eyes grinned. Takumi frowned slightly as he gazed at the village elder Kohito. "I don't want you to refuse her company. On the contrary I want you to invite her in," he said, keen blue eyes staring at him. "She visits your shop every day. You can get close enough to find out if she is the cause of the childrens' disappearances-"

"That's too dangerous!" several voices, the majority of which sounded feminine protested. "He's just a boy!"

"This is outrageous!" Takumi's father snarled. Takumi blinked, startled. Never in his life had he seen his father angry. "You would sacrifice my only son to see if some girl is kidnapping children?"

"If he disappears then we'll know she's the reason they're All disappearing," Kohito explained. "It'll be heroic and honourable. He'll be insuring the survival of many other children."

The doll maker made to stand, but was held back. Turning his head he met Takumi's dark eyes, burning with hidden thoughts.

"Father, it's alright. I'll do it." His father started to protest, but Takumi cut him off. "I'm the only one who sees her often enough to get close to her. I'm the only who Can do this." The hand on his father's arm dropped and Takumi kneeled at his feet. "I can do this. You know that. I was hoping we could settle here. We were talking just last night about how every boy goes through a rite of passage. This will be my rite of passage into manhood and then I can propose to the girl I told you about and slip a ring on her finger before someone else decides to steal her away." He met his father's gaze with bright determined eyes. "Father, I want to do this."

His father paused, staring at him with hard flat dark eyes. The wrinkles and dimples that made him so jovial when he smiled made him look serious and unhappy. His father's gaze swept the room, before returning to his son's face. "You're sure?"

"Yes." Takumi answered in unwavering monotone.

He stood taking his father's hand in his before meeting Kohito's gaze. "What will happen if she is involved in the childrens' disappearances?"

The withered bent old man's grin widened. "Then we'll have another meeting." Takumi inclined his head.

Kohito nodded back before addressing the rest of the remainder of the congregation. "For the time being the girl shall be our guest, and she shall be treated as one. Everyone is go about their regular business under the assumption that she is not involved in any way, until Takumi is able to shed light upon the matter. And Sakana." All the eyes in the room fell on their doctor. "I would appreciate it if you could keep an eye on her as well. She seems to frequent the clinic regularly."

"I should be able to manage that," she smiled at him. The smile he returned in her direction was one of satisfaction. "Then this meeting is adjourned."

Takumi gently pulled his father up and guided him from Sakana's living room and into the early morning sunrise. Behind them other villagers filed out.

"I've never heard of a village that held meetings at four in the morning," Takumi frowned. His father chuckled. "It is a bit unusual."

"Takumi, I have to ask," his father began in a serious tone, "who is the girl you spoke of? I recall no conversation about a girl of any kind, ever."

"I lied." Takumi deadpanned. His father paused, feet shuffling the fallen brown leaves that littered the street and so did he. "I can trust you."

"Under what pretence have you been talking to her?" His father asked. Takumi frowned gazed up at serious dark eyes. Something he loathed seeing on his father's face. "I told her we came here six months ago to escape Mother's memories." The old man relaxed and together they started walking again, only to turn onto a small side street: a short cut that went directly toward their shop.

"My, it seems we have a guest," his father broke the short silence. Takumi looked up from the rotting leaves to see the pink haired girl he was supposed to be getting to know standing on the step outside their shop. Turning her eyes fell on them and her hand rose in a partial wave.

In silence they strode to the step of the shop and she offered him a light smile that didn't reach her eyes. She looked tired and maybe even a little pale.

"Sakura."

She smiled a little wider and for a split second it was in her eyes. "Hello Takumi." He voice sounded stressed. It was a detail made exceeding by the tension of the situation. Her brief visit so soon after the meeting had left him with a bitter taste in his mouth and a fouler mood….

Takumi drained his cup, and stood up. He tossed the cup into a nearby waste bin and made for the door. Undoubtedly, his father was starting to wonder where he'd wandered off. But he frowned, unable to shake a small sense of unease that crept over him. Stepping outside he looked up momentarily. The sky was grey and overcast without a single ray of sun or patch of blue. A small frigid breeze shifted his hair and froze him through his jacket. The very wind was changing; soon it would bring freezing rain and snow. Silently cursing the baleful climate and heinous village he made his way back to the shop, but a single realization made his lip curl upward ever so slightly.

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><p>Beneath an orange dimly lit sun a bent withered tree stretched the few twigs it had toward the wan light. It was darker than the day before and it knew the following day would even darker. How it hated the rising and setting of the sun: the passage of time, every day shrinking and growing smaller, until there would only be hours, minutes, seconds, and finally nothing, until there was nothing left, but an eternity of darkness.<p>

There was something funny about the situation though, a joke of ironic gallows absurdity, that was beyond total recall. The twigs twitched and fell still as a faint muffled pop broke the silence. It was back: the demon that put him here. The only thing he remembered as if it had happened yesterday was the little faux-pa that put him here. The demon itself flitted by, pausing only long enough to smirk at him bright striking blue eyes.

He woodenly frowned at the withered brown grass below. Things weren't going well on the other side. It seemed the girl was afraid of him, more afraid than she needed to be or should be for that matter. If the villagers caught wind of her possessing anything of his, they would kill her without asking questions first. Not that they weren't going to anyways, but any chance he had of escaping would be lost if she died before he could contact her.

He needed to talk to her. Immediately.

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><p>Every hair on her neck was on end. Sakura paused in front of the inn, with her hand on the knob. She couldn't go in, not back to that room, not with that thing in her pocket. She ground her teeth and pulled away. Quickly she silently leaped on to the roof of the nearest building and flash-stepped toward the forest. She just needed to centre herself and get rid of the stupid white circle.<p>

She sent chakra to her nose enhancing her sense of smell as the last house in the village flashed beneath her. She passed a large barn that stood at the edge of the forest and broke through the tree line.

With her olfactory senses enhanced she could detect odours she would have missed otherwise. The petrichor after the last few days of rain, the scent of pine needles and rich aroma of the brown rotting leaves being eaten away by moulds and funguses, before being frozen beneath the fast approaching winter snows. Even the drops of dew, shaken from the branches she landed on invaded her nose. It was disorienting, but at the same time the familiarity of the mixing smells was incredibly comforting.

And above those she could smell what she looking for. The bouquet of water flowing in a river she'd passed on her way to the village stood out among the other smells and every time she touched down on a branch and took off again it was getting stronger. She'd throw the stupid disk into it and watch it be taken down stream, and maybe her room would become still and silent like a room was supposed to be. Maybe; she hoped.

Immediately she felt a weight lifted off her shoulder as the disc sank into the water and disappeared. Maybe it would be ground into dust against any submerged rocks that may have been in the dark water. She smiled at the thought of returning to her room, reading her poetry, getting another delicious bowl of soup from the bar, and for the first time since she'd entered the village getting a decent night's sleep. Her smile widened at the ideas, and turning on her heel she sauntered into the silent forest. She would walk back to the village, and even though she could clearly see the storm clouds building on the horizon she couldn't be bothered to hurry, because for once in four days she didn't feel nervous, anxious, scared, or like she was being watched. She felt peace.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: I failed (sad face) each chap is supposed to be longer than the previous one before it, but this one was shorter. Ahh, oh well. I may have to flesh out this chap a bit more, but I think some questions have been answered and others created. Please review and let me know what you think. Construcive Criticism is always welcome ^_^<strong>

**P.S. If there are any questions anyone would like me to answer I will, as long as it's something that wont spoil the ending XD**


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